Lovin’ Uzbekistan!

Lovin’ Uzbekistan!

Five years ago this week I was exploring Silk Roads and back roads of Central Asia. Officially I was with the Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association, an invited member of its 35th anniversary delegation.

I’m surrounded by that warm and welcoming spirit of Uzbeks, and Uzbekistan. (2008)

Samarkand (2008)

It was wonderful meeting so many Uzbek counterparts on a local and national level.

Gracious Urgut women, near the Uzbek-Tajik border (2008)

Unofficially, I was hanging out with the most spirited folks whose curiosity and love for these ancient lands was as irrepressible as mine.

Double wedding day in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (2008)

Another enjoyable Uzbek evening! (2008)

Laughter, storytelling, and delight as we talked, ate, and drank into those nights, skies studded with Silk Road stars and wanderers’ dreams…

I feel that I’m living a dream, walking through the places of my history-book studies in college – places I would never dare think I would see one day: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Silk Road oases of a thousand years. And… here I am.

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About Helen Holter

Immersed in the Northwest's jaw-dropping beauty, technology, and generosity, Helen lives and works at the cutting-edge of digital and broadcast media, sharing with others along the way. An Emmy-winning former TV news journalist in Seattle and Russia, Helen loves Seattle for its "spirit of place," especially in the outdoors, technology, global health, and – yes! – great coffee! Here lives the quirky intersection of old and new, past and future – Helen's home, Seattle.